Kumeyaay Oral Tradition, Cultural Identity, and Language Revitalization

• Issue: Volume 27, Number 2
• Author(s): Margaret Field, Jon Meza Cuero
• Article: View PDF | Download PDF
• Citation: http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/27ii/field

Abstract

This article discusses an example of Kumeyaay oral tradition from Baja California, Mexico, focusing specifically on the relation between stories and song cycles and their importance as vehicles for the intergenerational transmission of cultural values and group identity. Focusing on the nature of variationist language ideology in the Kumeyaay community and the indexicalization of group identity in storytelling, this essay demonstrates the importance of collaborative research in American Indian communities, especially in relation to language revitalization and archiving.

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